Game box enclosing inflated balloons

ABSTRACT

A toy game apparatus and playing pieces including an opaque box with an open bottom and with the top thereof providing a playing surface having precut nail-receiving perforations. The game progresses with balloons being placed within the confines of the opaque box and each child in turn, attempting to drive one or more nails through the playing surface without bursting a balloon. The precut perforations are shaped and formed in a construction making the playing surface and the perforations indefinitely reusable. A spinner is provided with the game, the spinner surface having indicia thereon to indicate, after spinning the spinner dial, the number of nails the child playing with the toy game must attempt to drive through the playing surface during his turn without bursting a balloon.

United States Patent [72] inventors Julius Cooper New Hyde Park; Walter Moe, Plainview, both of N.Y. [2H Appl. No. 878,134 [22] Filed Nov. 19, 1969 Patented Sept. 28, 1971 [73] Assignee Ideal Toy Corporation Hollis, N.Y.

[54] GAME BOX ENCLOSING INFLATED BALLOONS 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 273/135 R, 46/1 A,46/l94, 273/1 R [51] Int. Cl A63i 9/00 Field of Search 273/l R, R, R; 46/88, 194, I74,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,204,369 9/1965 Green 46/88 3,357,128 l2/l967 Geiser 3,460,830 8/l969 Barlowetal ABSTRACT: A toy game apparatus and playing pieces including an opaque box with an open bottom and with the top thereof providing a playing surface having precut nail-receiving perforations. The game progresses with balloons being placed within the confines of the opaque box and each child in turn, attempting to drive one or more nails through the playing surface without bursting a balloon. The precut perforations are shaped and formed in a construction making the playing surface and the perforations indefinitely reusable. A spinner is provided with the game, the spinner surface having indicia thereon to indicate, after spinning the spinner dial, the number of nails the child playing with the toy game must attempt to drive through the playing surface during his turn without bursting a balloon.

PATENTF-U 3 sum 1 or 2 INVI'IN'I'UHS JULIUS COOPER mum MOE PATENTEUSEP2B|91| 3. 608.903

SHEET 2 or 2 20 INVICNIUHS JULIIUS COOPER WALTER MOE GAME BOX ENCLOSING INFLATED BALLOONS The present invention relates generally to a toy game and more particularly to apparatus and playing pieces for a participation game.

It is desirable in todays education process for young persons that they be confronted with toys and toy games that stimulate their minds, offer them a challenge, educate them in manual dexterity, and offer them some competition involving the use of their minds against the minds of others. It is also important that the toys and toy games involve sounds that hold the attention of the children playing with such toys and toy games.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved toy game for holding the attention of the child playing therewith.

A further object is to provide toy game apparatus and playing pieces which challenge the childs manual dexterity as well as his mind.

A still further object is to provide a toy game and playing pieces therefor which effectively meet the commercial requirements of the toy industry.

A toy game apparatus and playing pieces therefor, demonstrating objects and advantages of the present invention, feature an opaque box with an open bottom and with the top thereof providing a playing surface having precut nail-receiving perforations. The game progresses with balloons being placed within the confines of the opaque box and each child, in turn, attempting to drive one or more nails into the playing surface without bursting a balloon. The precut perforations are shaped and formed in a construction making the playing surface and the perforations indefinitely reusable. A spinner is provided with the game, the spinner surface having indicia thereon to indicate, after spinning the spinner dial, the number of nails the child must attempt to drive through the playing surface during his turn without bursting a balloon.

The above brief description as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the playing pieces associated with a toy game according to the present invention, showing particularly the playing surface and the use of playing pieces in relation thereto;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cutaway, perspective view of a part of the playing surface, illustrating the construction of the precut nail-receiving perforations therein;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the opaque box of FIG. 1, taken along the line 33, further illustrating use of the playing pieces in relation to the playing surface; and

FIG. 4 is a top sectional view of the opaque box of FIG. 3, the section being taken along the line 4-4 thereof.

Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein there is shown apparatus and playing pieces useful in a toy game according to the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates the playing pieces and apparatus including an opaque box, generally designated by the reference numeral 10, which includes a top wall playing surface 12 having precut nail-receiving perforations 14 therethrough. The opaque box is constructed with depending sidewalls 18, and depending front and rear walls 20, the side, front and rear walls defining a bottom opening for said opaque box 10. A detailed view of the precut nail-receiving perforations 14 is shown in FIG. 2 as including a Y-shaped perforation in the playing surface 12, the surface being formed with fold lines 16 to facilitate reusability of the perforations 14 by connection of the extremities of the Y-shaped precut perforation 14. The fold lines 16 are constructed with slight indentations along the line thereof and are prefolded during manufacture in a material capable of retaining a memory for the fold. Construction of the precut nail perforations is also such as to enable the offering of some resistance to driving of the nails therethrough.

The playing pieces also include balloons 22, adapted to be filled with air to become inflated balloons 22 for disposition within the confining surface 12 and walls 18 and 20 of the opaque box 10. Nails 24 and a hammer 26 are also provided, the nails 24 being adapted to penetrate nail-receiving perforations 14 when driven with hammer 26 by a child. A spinner 28 is also provided with numerical indicia 30 on the surface thereof for selection by use of the spinner dial 32 rotatably attached to the spinner 28.

Reference is now made to the drawings to illustrate the mode of operation of the playing pieces. Assuming four players, by way of example only, one player is chosen to proceed first with play passing to the left. The opaque box it), the hammer 26, the nails 24 and the spinner 28 are placed within easy reach of all players. A number of balloons 22, which is one less than the number of players (four players use three balloons) are inflated and the inflated balloons 22 placed within the confining surface 12 and walls 18 and 20 of the opaque box 10. Such placement is facilitated by handreceiving cutout openings 36 at the lower end of walls 18, 20. The player chosen to proceed first spins the dial 32 and the number 30 pointed to by the dial after its spin (the number 2 as an example) is used to indicate the number of nails 24 which must be driven by the player using the hammer 26 through a perforation 14 of the playing surface 12. For instance, the first nail 24a is forced through a perforation 14a in the playing surface 12, as indicated by FIGS. 3 and 4, particularly. It may be seen that nail 24a has successfully missed penetration of one of the inflated balloons 22. A second nail 24b is then driven by the same player using hammer 26 through another perforation 14b in the playing surface 12 to complete the players turn. It may be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4 that the nail 24b has penetrated one of the balloons 22, which, according to the rules of the game, eliminates that player from competition. The other players, in turn, use the spinner dial 32 to choose the number of nails they must attempt to successfully drive through perforations 14 in the playing surface 12 without breaking the balloons. The last player remaining in the game is declared the winner.

In accordance with the above description, a toy game is provided, which provides competition for children, challenges them, and involves the sounds of bursting balloons to hold their attention while they receive some education in manual dexterity. The material for the apparatus and playing pieces (except the balloons) is any rigid or semirigid material such as plastic or cardboard. The game is described as including an opaque game box having a top wall defining a playing field and depending walls cooperating with said top wall and defining an internal chamber therewith. At least one inflated balloon is disposed within the chamber in proximity to and beneath the playing field but hidden from view, the playing field having plural nail-receiving perforations through which the balloon may be burst by driving a nail through selected ones of said nail-receiving perforations. Whether or not a particular nail through a particular perforation bursts a balloon depends upon the orientation of the balloon in relation to the playing field and the degree of inflation of the balloon. The perforations include a central hole and plural cuts radiating therefrom with prefolded indentations connecting the extremities of the cuts.

What is claimed is:

1. A game comprising an opaque game box including a top wall and depending walls cooperating with said top wall and defining an internal chamber therebeneath, one of said walls defining a playing field at least one inflated balloon disposed within said chamber in proximity to and. beneath said top wall but hidden from view, said playing field having plural nailreceiving perforations through which said balloon may be burst by driving a nail through selected ones of said nailreceiving perforations and depending upon the orientation of said balloon in relation to said playing field and the degree of inflation thereof, and at least one nail adapted to be driven into one or more of said nail-receiving perforations.

cludes an open bottom through which one or more inflated balloons may be introduced into said internal chamber.

5. A game according to claim 4 wherein said game box is of rectangular cross section, said top wall is horizontal and flat and said depending walls include opposite sidewalls and opposite end walls. 

1. A game comprising an opaque game box including a top wall and depending walls cooperating with said top wall and defining an internal chamber therebeneath, one of said walls defining a playing field at least one inflated balloon disposed within said chamber in proximity to and beneath said top wall but hidden from view, said playing field having plural nail-receiving perforations through which said balloon may be burst by driving a nail through selected ones of said nail-receiving perforations and depending upon the orientation of said balloon in relation to said playing field and the degree of inflation thereof, and at least one nail adapted to be driven into one or more of said nail-receiving perforations.
 2. A game according to claim 1 wherein each of said perforations includes a central hole and plural cuts radiating therefrom.
 3. A game according to claim 2 wherein prefolded indentations connect successive cuts of each of said perforations at the extremities thereof.
 4. A game according to claim 1 wherein said game box includes an open bottom through which one or more inflated balloons may be introduced into said internal chamber.
 5. A game according to claim 4 wherein said game box is of rectangular cross section, said top wall is horizontal and flat and said depending walls include opposite sidewalls and opposite end walls. 